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Foraging and Cooking Mushrooms, Wild and Obscure Food

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Smoking Food with Mushrooms

Phellinus Igniarius, Eating a downed birch tree.

Phellinus Igniarius, Eating a downed birch tree.

Recently, I brought some good friends of mine into the birch forests of northern MN for a winter mushrooming expedition and hike. It was cold as hell and our water bottles all froze in our backpacks. We got lost on our way back, although beautifully lost we were, meandering through white snow and a sea of black and white birch. We were trying to get to a spot across a river I had spotted last year containing a bunch of Chaga-parasited trees, some with very large and mature growths ripe for the picking, or hammering and chiseling as the case may be. To our extreme horror, the wooden bridge had been destroyed in a storm, the only remnants twisted shards of metal rising from a bed of only slightly frozen ice with rushing rapids running down the entirety of the River. We ended up having to drive about 5 miles back to where we could cross by foot. After A while of hiking, I stumbled upon our first large Chaga perched on a little tree at the base of a hill. After a few more hours we probably had about 20lbs of Chaga.

We also had something else; I had recently purchased a new medicinal mushrooms field guide and had noticed a polypore that grows through the winter in the Birch rich homes Chaga inhabits. It is called Phellinus Igniarius. I had found some last year, but was unsure of my ID and a bit lazy (read as Chaga obsessed), I discarded them. What is such a thing used for? Apparently the igniarius if combined with tobacco creates a stimulating narcotic effect. This is wrapped into something called a “quid” by northern Native American populations. Of course my co-workers wanted me bring them some to try.

I first dried the igniarius out in a warm oven for a while to preserve it, then I broke it into pieces and placed it in the smoker. I was planning on smoking some squash to add to a broth that ravioli were going to be in. This is when something strange happened. I smoked the squash with the mushrooms, I also noticed that the igniarius was giving off a different type of smoke than I had anticipated…….it was VERY mushroomy, rich and woodsy. I added the smoked squash to the broth and let it infuse for a while, anticipating a strong infusion, I added a bunch more squash stock and trim to the pot to round out the flavor and add sweetness to the broth. The result was delicious. Part smokey, mostly mushroomy, the broth had a wonderful flavor, but the most exciting part was that it was unique, a mushroom flavor and profile I had never tasted before. Eureka! I thought, I have found a new flavor!

005

Gorgonzola ravioli with kale sprouts, root vegetable brunoise, and Igniarius mushroom smoked squash broth.

 

 

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Got treated to a home cooked meal of big lamb meat Got treated to a home cooked meal of big lamb meatballs from the Icelandic lambs @shepherdsongfarm gave us. 

It’s been a while since I had fist-size meatballs. They reminded me of dinners I had with Grandpa at Yarussos in St. Paul, where you got one meatball to rule them all on top of your spaghetti and red gravy. 

Obv I had to make some with venison, wild rice, ramps, and bergamot. The wild rice is fun. Hefty. 

Also forgot to oil my hands, like a chump. 🙄

#ballingonabudget #meatballs #naptime #venison #rampleaves #comfortfoods #rusticfood #monardafistulosa
Tres Leches soaked in candy cap milk was a fun var Tres Leches soaked in candy cap milk was a fun variation I did on the house dessert of a little restaurant I was at for a time. 

Don’t be surprised if you smell like maple syrup a few hours after eating it. Using ground dried golden chanterelles is another variation that’s on my list to try. 

Link in bio to see how to make your own. 

#candycaps #treslechescake #myteethfellout #wildmushrooms #wildfoodlove
ARISE #fungimancer #frostbite #morels #tisthes ARISE 

 #fungimancer 
#frostbite #morels #tistheseason #mushroomhunting #winter #offseasontraining
Big thanks🙏 to all of you who showed your suppo Big thanks🙏 to all of you who showed your support with the first line of spirits @ida_graves_distillery and I collaborated on. 

Brock did a great job wrangling the wild things, and we have plenty of fun ideas in store (think aging nocino in barrels, new flavor combos, etc). If you’re in the Twin Cities and still need some, the amaro is #soldout but @ombibulousmn has nocino, and should have the spruce  liquor (goes down like pine gin) soon. Thank you!

#distillery #foragedcocktails #nocino #craftspirits #drinkatree #mnspirits #smallbatch #godscountry
Let’s talk roadkill. Honestly, roadkill is too s Let’s talk roadkill. Honestly, roadkill is too specific a term for me—I don’t limit myself to vehicular-harvested meat. 

However you feel about the topic, grab some popcorn and head over to the comment section on my blog (link in bio) for the 🔥personal stories from readers have shared from around the world. 

There’s the kid who brought home a nutria after school, a wife getting 4 deer with the same car, a train hitting a herd of elk, a bear named squish, living in a house with weasels, and more. 

#budgetgourmet #gleaning #scavenging #meatismeat #roadkill #freefoods #finderskeepers #wastenotwantnot
Sam Thayer dropped 25 lbs of his highbush cranberr Sam Thayer dropped 25 lbs of his highbush cranberry cultivars (3 types!) on me before the last snowfall and I honestly don’t even know where to start after processing them. I’d already made jams and hot sauce already and I have enough for a year. 😅

Great time to practice the cold-juice which ensures the juice isn’t bitter. 

Anyone else have any ideas? 

You can still find some on the shrubs if the birds didn’t get them up by the north shore. 

#highbushcranberry #winterforaging #birdberries #sweetnectar #foragerproblems #juiceme #embarassmentofriches #wildfoodlove
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